Help Me Breath Again
by RockLauraLoko
Summary: "What's love like?" he asked her. Seeing the pain and hope in his eyes she felt her heart clench. She knew just how much he had suffered because of the people that were supposed to love him. "Love is the air we breath" she answered - Young Itachi (not forever) and Time travel.
1. Chapter 1

**Help me breath again**

 _By RockLauraLoko  
chapter one._

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Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto (if they were mine, Itachi would be walking around without a shirt through all the anime) however, the plot of this fic and the new characters belongs to me

Summary: "What's love like?" he asked her. Seeing the pain and hope in his eyes she felt her heart clench. She knew just how much he had suffered because of the people that were supposed to love him. "Love is the air we breath" she answered

A/N: With this Fic I hope to make you feel happiness, sadness, love, lust, anxiety and everything else! I want to make you shiver with desire to read the next chapter and I hope I can achieve that

"talking"

 _"thinking"_

* * *

To any villager living in Konohagakure No Sato (aka: Village Hidden in the Leaves or Hidden Leaf Village) this was a perfectly normal day.

However, any shinobi living on said village knew better. Konoha was living near a break of a war between Madara Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha and the five nations who formed a union beneath the threat of the powerful trio. Having lost so many lives and resources, the nations would stop at nothing to beat the Uchihas

Tsunade looked at the paper in her hands with a frown, she knew how dangerous her decision would be, not only for her and all nations but also for the person she was just about to assign this mission to. Kami-sama knew that if she had another choice she wouldn't be doing this

"SHIIIIIIIIZZZZUUUUUUUUUNEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"H-h-hai Tsunade-sama!" said Shizune while trying to catch her breath from running all the way back from down the hall. She sighed, just when she was about to take a break lady Tsunade calls her back, probably to ask where she hid the sake this time...Her drinking habits were as bad as her luck in bets and her temper! Shizune was still amazed on how Tsunade managed to be such a wonderful hokage even in such …. circumstances

"I want you to tell an Anbu to track Sakura Haruno and tell her to meet me here immediately!"

"May I ask why Tsunade-sama?" asked Shizune wondering why she would call Sakura back here when the poor girl had worked herself to exhaustion the day before, healing everyone that required it even after finishing two full shifts and half another. Spending so many years learning from the Hokage she had with no doubt caught the Sannin's temper and her stubbornness as well if not worse!

Tsunade sighed, Shizune would probably argue with her about this choice but no one would be able to deny that this was the last choice they had to save the shinobi world from hell "I'm about to give her the mission that is going to save us all" she said while handing Shizune the scroll she had just been reading

The other woman held the scroll reading it carefully while her eyes widened with each sentence read "Tsunade-sama! You can't be serious!"

"I wish I was kidding Shizune...I really do..."

Seeing the sadness in the older woman's eyes she immediately shut up. She knew how many important people had her lady lost and how each one of them took with them a piece of her heart that no matter how much had Shizune tried, there was no way to replace.

Sakura had become one of those important people to the Hokage, working for so many years side to side, teaching her everything she knew about life as a ninja out in the field and in the hospital, giving her the knowledge and tools to make the young kunoichi one of the best that konoha had seen, and while doing such, she passed into the blossom some of her traits and started to see her as her own daughter.

Assigning Sakura such a mission knowing all the possible bad endings it could lead to, was probably like having a knife pierce her heart while forcing herself to remain looking calm and rule over the village that needed her so much in this moment of crisis.

"I will have her called right now Tsunade-sama, excuse me" she said while she got up and left the room towards the anbu headquarters

As soon as she left the room Tsunade allowed herself to fall back back in her chair and let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding, she hoped she could do this

* * *

Sakura woke up with the biggest head ache of the planet. She really shouldn't have exhausted her chakra like that in the hospital but she couldn't turn her back on her co-workers when they were short staffed and 2 anbu teams had just checked in with major injuries after being attacked near the border even if she was standing up just thanks to the 2 soldier pills she had taken 1 hour ago

She got up from her bed pulling the covers off of herself and trowing her legs to the side of the bed and proceeded to walk to her window and pull the curtains away

The world outside was amazing, the sun was high in the sky and she could see the shops opened and many people buying their groceries with their kids by the hand

However, to her there was something completely different going on. When she looked at those streets she could already picture the blood that would be staining them when the war erupted and how many of the people she was seeing today would be dead in the near future

She had trained so hard underneath lady Tsunade to be able to stop standing behind her team and start standing besides them, fighting with them being a useful comrade and precious friend. She trained so hard that now at the age of 17 she had surpassed her mentor going against many people expectations, including her own

She had grown as a shinobi and as a woman. Her pink hair was now reaching mid back, her breasts had grown and the rest of her body displayed her obvious training as a kunoichi, but, unlike many others, she had the advantage of being a medic nin which allowed her to heal her injuries as fast as possible and keep many scars from forming. Her eyes still held the same beautiful green that * reflected her heart and soul * has had once Kakashi-sensei told her but that had won a shade of wisdom from the years spent on this life

She was now an anbu (having taken the exams 6 months ago) and so were the other members of konoha eleven (although Shikamaru and Neji were the first to achieve such position and were now anbu captains)

She hoped she could see konoha and the other nations surviving this war and see Naruto rising to the position of Hokage and if she couldn't...she would die trying

She was in such deep thoughts when there was a sudden cloud of smoke in her room (she immediately recognized the teleporting technique). After the smoke dissipated a little she could see an anbu she knew was Neji the minute he spoke

"Haruno-san, you are required on the Hokage tower immediately"

Sakura nodded "Hai will be there right away anbu-san" and immediately turned to her closet. Her clothes consisted in her headband that she proudly displayed in her head, a black kimono style top with a cherries blossom pattern on the side coming up to her breast, black shorts, her medical pouch and her usual black boots that reached a little bellow her knees

In overall, her attire hugged her figure showing her curves but never displaying too much skin, was comfortable and gave her enough space to move in a fight

She left her apartment locking her door and checking her traps in the process. One could never be to careful these days.

She ran as fast as she could through the rooftops, she knew it wasn't wise to make Tsunade wait so early in the morning especially after Shizune hid all her sake the previous day. Arriving at the Hokage Tower she greeted a few people she knew from the hospital and missions. She headed to the Hokage's office and knocked on the door waiting for a reply

"Get in Sakura we don't have all day!" Sakura sighed. Tsunade was in a bad mood, how perfect for her head ache...

"You called me Tsunade-shishou?" She asked as she closed the door behind her. She noticed Shizune was besides the Hokage with a very serious look in her face and...was that fear she saw in her eyes?

"Sit down Sakura I have a mission for you" She did as she was told and looked at the older woman waiting for farther information

"Haruno Sakura I am about to assign you an S-rank mission which implies your departure from Konoha for an indeterminate space of time and high risks that could lead not only to your death but also for Konoha's hope in surviving being lost, if you accept this mission you will depart alone as soon as possible"

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat. Tsunade was giving her such an important mission with such hope and fear in her eyes that she felt like she knew from the first word what she needed to do

She could die on this mission, put other peoples life in danger and her loved village in hell if she failed. She didn't even know what this mission was all about but if the way her heart was and how her instinct told her to get the hell out of there were anything to go by, this meant business. And yet...if she succeeded she could stop this war, stop the bloodshed that seemed to taint everything this days, she could help her loved ones...

But...there was still something in the back of her mind asking: could she do it? Tsunade believed in her if she was giving her this mission, and that was enough. When no one believed her, Tsunade did, she made her see she could became on hell of a kunoichi and blow everyone expectations. She did it then and she would do it now there was no turning back

"I accept the mission" Tsunade's eyes brightened with those words, she could see the fire burning in her pupil's eyes and she knew that there was no one better for this job. As long as the will of fire burned in her heart there was nothing Tsunade could worry about

"Very well...Haruno Sakura you will meet me and Shizune on the gates in 1 hour where we will perform a jutsu that will send you 9 years into the past. You will be given a scroll to give to the third Hokage. Your mission is to stop the Uchiha massacre at all costs. Do you understand?"

Sakura's eyes almost jumped of off her face and rolled in the ground while hearing this. Time travel? ITACHI FREAKING UCHIHA? "T-Tsunade-shishou! What is that jutsu all about? How is it even possible?"

Tsunade sighed "A long time ago there was a clan specialized in time related jutsu, they existed before the villages were even formed and they were a threat to all the other clans and time itself...They were known as the Moto clan. They were so powerfull that many clans joined forces in other to kill every single member of that clan and burn all the scrolls with information about their jutsus and declared them forbidden.

However, there was a scroll that survived this and ended up with the second Hokage that hid it and was to never be found, until today."

"Are there side effects of using such jutsu?" sakura asked while absorving the information

"You might get a litle dizzy but it will wear off eventually."

"How will I be able to approach the Uchiha clan? As far as I know they were very reserved"

"Dont worry. I trust The Third to help you after reading my message. As for the rest...it will be your mission to figure out and acomplish"

Sakura still had her doubts but nooded anyway"Understood Tsunade-shishou"

"You may leave to pack. Be on the gates in 1 hour with everything you will need. Dismissed!"

Sakura started heading home, the more she thought the more she realized something...

 _I am going to meet Itachi Uchiha and somehow stop him for murdering all his family...I am fucked_

* * *

Hi minna-san! Really hoped you liked this first chapter ***-*** its my first time writing a fanfic so please be gentle ç-ç This chapter was used to create some base from where I can start to develop the story and give you an idea of whats going on here  
I have changed some events as you can see and some more will be changed.

A huuuuugeee Thank you to my betas who believed I could pull this off you are the best friends a writer could have!

If you liked it please review and/or Follow/Favorite it I will read every review and answer if you have any questions


	2. Chapter 2

**Help me breath again**

 _By RockLauraLoko  
chapter two._

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Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto (if they were mine, Itachi would be walking around without a shirt through all the anime) however, the plot of this fic and the new characters belongs to me

Summary: "What's love like?" he asked her. Seeing the pain and hope in his eyes she felt her heart clench. She knew just how much he had suffered because of the people that were supposed to love him. "Love is the air we breath" she answered

A/N: Hi everyone! Wanna thank you all for reading this fic and following and/or Follow/Favorite it! It means the world to me that there are people wanting to read more I love you all!

"talking"

 _thinking_

 _._

.  
.

 _»»»»»»Previously««««««_

" _How will I be able to approach the Uchiha clan? As far as I know they were very reserved"_

" _Don't worry. I trust The Third to help you after reading my message. As for the rest...it will be your mission to figure out and accomplish"_

" _Understood Tsunade-shishou"_

" _You may leave to pack. Be on the gates in 1 hour with everything you will need. Dismissed!"_

 _Sakura started heading home, the more she thought the more she realized something..._

 _I am going to meet Itachi Uchiha and somehow stop him for murdering all his family...I am fucked_

 _»»»»»»End««««««_

 _._

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Sakura got to her apartment and started packing everything she would need. She grabbed some clothes, some poisons, pills, some medical scrolls and all the money she had (which she put on a scroll she kept on her medical belt)

Next she grabbed her kunais and the pictures of the old and current Team 7. On her 17 birthday Naruto gave her a beautiful black kunai that had an orange diamond on the handle. He had told her he wanted her to remember him every time she used it and never forget that she wasn't allowed to die under any circumstances

 _Baka...as if I would allow myself to die so easily...we still have to get our Sasuke-kun back_

Although she still loved Sasuke, she realized long ago that this feelings were a family kind of love. She loved Sasuke as her brother, she wanted to save him and protect him because he was a part of her like any other person she loved and for that...she would do everything in her power to bring him home

She looked at the pictures she held and she felt her chest tighten. She wanted to see everyone happy and together, she wanted to see help them make Konoha even brighter. She wanted to protect them...and she would...even if that meant risking her own life

Sighing she closed her backpack and looked at her watch, she still had time for a quick shower and then go meet Tsunade and Shizune. Turning she headed towards her bathroom and closed the door.

Looking at her reflection on the mirror she realized she had a worried look on her face and was paler than usual. She took off her clothes, turned her shower on and stepped inside

As much as she wanted to say goodbye to Naruto and the rest of the gang she knew she couldn't...her mission was confidential and no one could know where she was about to go and knowing Naruto, he would immediately realize something was wrong and bug her to tell him what it was.

Naruto could be a big idiot in most occasions but he was the best friend and comrade anyone could have. She admired his spirit, the way he could find the best on the worst of anything and how he would never lose hope no matter the situation thrown at him. She had no doubt he would make one hell of a Hokage and not even those cranky old elders would be able to stop him

The big baka and the shy princess had finally started going out a month ago when Naruto woke up and realized the girl's feeling towards him. When they were together there was no denying the light on Hinata's eyes or how Naruto seemed to smile even brighter. They deserved all happiness in the world and Sakura wished them no less

Realizing she had been under the water for a while she quickly washed, got dressed, grabbed her backpack and took a last look at her apartment. She would miss this..her friends and family, her village...her home. But this was for a greater good

With a sigh she closed the door and started walking through the busy streets thinking about her mission.

Itachi Uchiha...how would he be like? Would he be like any other 13 year boy? Of course not...this was Itachi FREAKING Uchiha we are talking about here, there is nothing normal about him! Still...he was still a child when it all happened...when she was his age she spent her days fangirling over Sasuke and combing her hair for godsake!

And yet her instinct told her that there was so much more behind all of this. Kakashi and Tsunade always told her to never ignore her instinct because sometimes it could be the difference between life and death

She needed to earn his trust and find his motives, and if she couldn't...could she kill him? She guessed that she would find out when the moment came

Looking ahead she saw she was a few steps away of the gates and could already see Tsunade, Shizune and 5 anbus waiting for her. She quickly hurried towards them

"About time girl! Did Kakashi passed onto you his lateness? Of all of the habits you had to learn that one? I swear that one of this days I'm gonna beat his ass t-"

"Tsunade-sama I think its best if we depart now, we are losing precious time" Shizune interrupted her and they started heading towards a thicker part of the forest surrounding the village

Slightly annoyed the slug princess huffed "Fine but he is gonna get it once I get back!"

Sakura and Shizune exchanged a look, once her temper fired up there was no stopping it

Suddenly Tsunade changed topic with a serious face

"Sakura" she called

"Hai shishou"

"You must understand that this mission won't be easy. Even with the scroll you will give to the Sandaime there is not much we Hokage can do to intervene in clan business. You will have to work hard for this mission, the jutsu will last around 1 year and then you will come back to the place where the jutsu happened and you will come to me and report"

"But how will that work? How will you know who I am or anything about this mission?" Sakura asked

With a jutsu like this, she was changing past and future, there was a chance that things could change so much that she wouldn't even become Tsunade's apprentice

"Don't worry Sakura, when the time comes I will know who you are, never doubt that" Tsunade smiled. Sakura and Shizune believed her, whether the anbus guarding them believed it or not, it was impossible to say

"Tsunade-sama we are here" Shizune said

Looking at their surroundings Sakura realized they were on a clearing. _So this is were it all begins.._

"Sakura I want you to go stand in the middle of the clearing and get ready, give this to the Sandaime" Tsunade ordered while handling her a scroll.

Before doing as told, she turned towards Shizune and hugged her

"You can do it Sakura-chan, I believe in you" Said the woman she saw as an older sister

Next she turned to the Hokage and hesitated, she knew she wasn't one of public affection but considering the situation...Luckily Tsunade erased any doubt and pulled her into a bone crushing hug

"If there is anyone that can accomplish this, that person is you, never forget that. Konoha counts with you. Make me proud Sakura and don't you dare die on me" Tsunade whispered and released her

Sakura looked at them with tears in her eyes "Thank you both so much it was an honor and a pleasure to be able to meet, learn and call you family. I won't fail you!"

Following Tsunade's word she walked to her place and saw Tsunade and Shizune getting to their position both a couple feet away from her. Shizune got behind her and Tsunade in front of her.

She saw Tsunade open a scroll and her hands glowing a bright yellow and a big noise started. She could feel Shizune's chakra going up and understood she was probably doing the same as her master

"SAKURA GET READY! CLOSE YOUR EYES AND GET CHAKRA AROUND YOU AS A BARRIER" Tsunade yelled at her so she could hear trough the noise. Sakura did as she was told, green chakra surrounding her body "ARE YOU READY?"

"HAI TSUNADE-SHISHOU!" Sakura could feel her heart beating like crazy in her heart, she was scared, really scared and she already missed everyone to death. _You need to be strong Sakura its all up to you now -_ she told herself over and over again

"SHIZUNE **NOW!"** Suddenly there was a giant explosion and she felt like her body had been kicked to Suna and back, and then..only silence and darkness as she passed out

* * *

Sakura woke up feeling like she had been beaten by Tsunade for 3 days straight and her stomach was dancing around inside her. She quickly turned to her side to avoid puking on herself and emptied her stomach contents

 _This is what Tsunade calls a little dizzy? I have gotten out of deadly battles feelings better!_

She should have predicted this though, with a jutsu like this it was impossible to know the exact side effects. She should be happy she wasn't missing any body part

Looking around her she realized she was on the exact same place as before the jutsu.

 _Well..almost the same place... I need to head to konoha, lets hope The third beli_ _e_ _ves whatever shishou wrote for him_

She got up and started walking back to the village hoping it wasn't all that different. Upon arriving she realized her hopes had been right. Konoha from 9 years ago was like her Konoha, the only difference was that there were only 2 guards (she had no idea who they were) by the gates and in her timeline there was a war approaching, there were several guards ready for an invasion attempt

Both guards looked at her with a strange look, they had never seen the beautiful kunoichi before but she had their headband. "Stop there miss! Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked the tallest of them as they both got into a fighting stance

"I wish you no harm, I request an audience with the Hogake please" Sakura said hoping they would at least think over her request

"I am sorry , but we can't let you in the village without knowing for sure who you are" said the smaller one

"I understand, maybe you can take me to him? That way you will be able to stop me from doing anything stupid"

"Sorry we are not allowed to leave the gates"

 _Damn it this is going no where, if this goes on I will have to force my way in._ Sakura was just about to talk again when she heard a voice behind her

"Is there any problem Koseki-san?" Sakura quickly turned around and what she saw made her lose the ability to speak. Behind her was no other than 13 year old and anbu Itachi Uchiha. He didn't have his mask on, his hair reached his shoulders and was a head smaller then her, one would think that a child couldn't cause that much fear but when it came to the Uchiha, he had an aura of power and confidence surrounding him like a shield

"N-n-no Uchiha-san. This woman requested an audience with Hogake-sama"

"Do you know anything about her or did she mention the topic of her meeting with the Hokage?" Itachi asked. Sakura was starting to get irritated, they were talking like she wasn't standing there! _Stupid Uchiha is gonna learn some manners_

"I am here to talk to the Sandaime, my identity and reasons only he will know" Sakura said while looking at him in the eyes, she refused to be intimidated by him, just because he was an Uchiha and was considered one of the strongest ninja alive didn't mean he shouldn't show some respect towards other people

Itachi looked at her with a look of superiority and annoyance, the nerve of the prick! Raising an eyebrow he finally talked to her

"The Hogake's safety concerns every shinobi of this village so when a stranger such as yourself appears thinking they have every right to demand a meeting with the Hokage, it's my duty to intervene"

She knew he was right but the way he said it like she was the most inconvenient creature of the world and he was wasting his royal breath with her made something inside her start to burn. She formed the sweetest of smiles (that got team 7 running for their lives many times) and with a polite tone started talking

"Well Uchiha-san, There is a monkey behind the door" His eyes reflected surprise for a second before his blank mask of indifference returned. Sakura could feel a smirk forming but held it back, she had just quoted one of the most important anbu codes. No one outside anbu and the Hogake's extremely close circle knew this code, it was used when there were too many people present and the village was about to suffer an attack big enough to bring the village to destruction

There was a chance the codes had changed with time but luckily for her, Kami was on her side and they hadn't. There wasn't a big danger of people finding out about the codes since there were so little people knowing about their existence

"Very well...Koseki-san, Shido-san, please return to your duties I shall take care of this situation myself" He said walking towards her, grabbing her arm and using a teleporting technique.

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Hi everyone! Thank you SOOOOO much for supporting this story with reviews/favorite/follow! Hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know your opinions!


	3. Chapter 3

**Help me breath again**

 _By RockLauraLoko  
chapter three._

.

Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto (if they were mine, Itachi would be walking around without a shirt through all the anime) however, the plot of this fic and the new characters belongs to me

Summary: "What's love like?" he asked her. Seeing the pain and hope in his eyes she felt her heart clench. She knew just how much he had suffered because of the people that were supposed to love him. "Love is the air we breath" she answered

 **(read the authors note!)**

"talking"

 _thinking_

* * *

 _»»»»»»Previously««««««_

" _Well Uchiha-san, There is a monkey behind the door" His eyes reflected surprise for a second before his blank mask of indifference returned. Sakura could feel a smirk forming but held it back, she had just quoted one of the most important anbu codes. No one outside anbu and the Hogake's extremely close circle knew this code, it was used when there were too many people present and the village was about to suffer an attack big enough to bring the village to destruction_

 _There was a chance the codes had changed with time but luckily for her, Kami was on her side and they hadn't. There wasn't a big danger of people finding out about the codes since there were so little people knowing about their existence_

" _Very well...Koseki-san, Shido-san, please return to your duties I shall take care of this situation myself" He said walking towards her, grabbing her arm and using a teleporting technique._

 _»»»»»»End««««««_

* * *

Sakura tried to regain her balance, she was still recovering from the time travel and now Itachi's technique just added a new feeling of dizziness. She immediately grabbed a chair near her and sat down. Looking around she recognized the hall outside the Hokage's office and thanked Kami that he didn't take her to the anbu cells to be interrogated

 _Well...at least not yet..._

"Stay here and don't move a single hair, I'm gonna talk to the Sandaime about this and he will be the one deciding your future. If I come back and I find you missing or that you did any stupid choice, I promise that I will make you regret every breath you take, do you understand?" Itachi asked her, sharingan spinning as a warning

Sakura looked at him and smirked "Go do your job Uchiha, I don't need you worrying about my well being, I can take care of myself" Okay maybe she was pushing some dangerous buttons but so what? This kid made her blood boil

Itachi blankly stared at her but didn't say anything else, turning around he knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

"Come in" Sakura heard The Third say. Itachi looked at her one last time as a reminder and proceeded to enter the Hokage's office

Sakura found herself alone and relaxed a little, thinking over the last few hours. The jutsu had been a success, she managed to travel 9 years into the past, she got to meet Itachi (more or less) and she was certain she would be allowed to speak to the Sandaime. Everything was going according to the plan...so why did she felt this fear growing on her chest?

She knew that this was only supposed to last somewhere around a year but...this mission was so much more than she could even understand. One wrong choice and she could change the future so much that she would get back to a situation even worst from the one she left from

She released a breath and held her head high. None of her friends were here, if she wanted to be successful she would have to do it alone without ever backing up. It was time to grow up and become the Kunoichi she fought all her life to be.

»»»»Itachi POV««««

Itachi was just getting back from a mission to Iwagakure, wishing nothing more than to report and go home to eat some of his mother's rice balls. His mission had been diplomatic, he spent 2 months talking to important faces and finding new sources of information that could be useful for the village. After the first week he was already wishing that he could kill himself just to avoid listening to brainless people.

He understood that he was the most indicated person to go on such mission since he was one of the Hokage's most trusted people and had spent his entire life facing formal situations in the Uchiha compound but really...he did NOT deserve to go through that torture!

He had to survive 2 MONTHS surrounded by the most noisy and annoying people he had ever met in his entire life! And that's saying a lot when your best friend and cousin his Shisui Uchiha. He spent his days drinking tea, listening to men bragging on how they were richer than Kami and of course...avoiding as much as he could all of the feminine attention he was getting. Just the memories of the living nightmare that he had to endure where enough to make him swear to never EVER accept this kind of mission again.

He was lost in thoughts when he felt a strong chakra near the village gates. He was still a couple miles away from the village so he couldn't see who the person was but he didn't remember ever having felt this chakra signature before and that was enough to have him moving at top speed. The guard's chakra seemed pretty calm so he supposed that whoever it was they didn't think she was a threat.

When he was close enough to see what was happening he thought that his eyes were pulling a trick on him. He saw pink...hair? He had seen hair of all colors but pink was definitely not one of them. Blinking he assessed the situation before him with more attention, there was a young woman somewhere around 16 talking to the guards seemingly making some kind of request. She was wearing a black and pink kimono-like top, black shorts and had some kind of medical pouch around her hips. She had a very fit body shape, clearly from training. Only a kunoichi could keep her body muscled and feminine at the same time.

It was practically a requirement, strong but good looking enough to be able to seduce her target and escape alive. He jumped down from the tree he was currently at, made his way to the unknown kunoichi and intervened the conversation that was going on between her and the guards.

"Is there any problem Koseki-san?" he asked with a blank face. The guard immediately palled but that didn't surprise him. He was used to people reacting like that to his presence. No...what really surprised him was the woman's eyes the minute she turned to look at him. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green, wild and unbelievable expressive. He saw confusion when she looked in his direction but it quickly turned into one look of surprise and fear.

"N-n-no Uchiha-san. This woman requested an audience with Hogake-sama" The man answered him.

"Do you know anything about her or did she mention the topic of her meeting with the Hokage?" he asked. But to his amusement, the one who answered was not the guard but the woman directly in front of him

"I am here to talk to the Sandaime, my identity and reasons only he will know" Her eyes showed determination and...was that annoyance? Did she really think he would just open the gates for her, an unknown kunoichi and possible threat?

"The Hogake's safety concerns every shinobi of this village so when a stranger such as yourself appears thinking they have every right to demand a meeting with the Hokage, it's my duty to intervene" he said with a dull voice

He was sure she would learn her place after this but apparently..he was wrong. He saw how her face quickly changed from one of irritation to one of sweetness and expected her to try to persuade him to take her to the hokage using other ways. But he was in for a surprise.

"Well Uchiha-san, There is a monkey behind the door" and what a hell of a surprise had it been. He lost his composure for a second before regaining his control. There was no way this stranger had just recited one of the most important anbu codes of his village! Could she be a spy? Maybe...but he couldn't kill her without letting the Hokage know about this. He quickly checked all his possibilities and decided to comply to her request.

"Very well...Koseki-san, Shido-san, please return to your duties I shall take care of this situation myself" he said while walking towards the pinkete. Itachi grabbed her arm and quickly teleported them to the Hokage's tower.

"Stay here and don't move a single hair, I'm gonna talk to the Sandaime about this and he will be the one deciding your future. If I come back and I find you missing or that you did any stupid choice, I promise that I will make you regret every breath you take, do you understand?" He asked

"Go do your job Uchiha, I don't need you worrying about my well being, I can take care of myself" Hearing those words and watching her smirk, Itachi had to hold to his patience with both hands to avoid doing something bad. Turning to the Hokage's office door he knocked twice and waited.

"Come in" Upon hearing the Third's voice he looked back one last time and proceeded to enter the office

"Hokage-sama" Itachi bowed

"Ah Itachi! I'm happy to see you came back safe and sound from your mission, but you do realize you only need to report to me in 24h from your arrival?" asked the Hokage while smiling.

It was common knowledge that upon arriving from a long term mission you had 24h to rest and do whatever you wanted before reporting. However, it was also common knowledge that Itachi saw such thing as unnecessary. He was used to spend days on his feet without sleeping or eating and still being able to kill anyone that dared to interfere with his goal. The need to delay a report was simply non-existent for him.

When he was just 4 years old he realized what was expected of him. He would have to dispose of all of his emotions, free will and humanity in order to become a living object. His clan didn't need another beating heart, they needed a sword. Someone they could maneuver around to do their dirty work.

They would have gotten it if it weren't for the man sitting in front on him, Shisui and of course...his precious little brother. He wouldn't allow the clan to destroy his brother like they destroyed him. Sasuke gave him a new reason to fight, he wanted to protect his smile. For this reason...he became a shield. He could take the fear and hate as long as his important people and beloved village were safe.

"Hai Hokage-sama. It was my wish to report to you immediately, however, a situation has come up and I think it's wise to let you know about this sudden turn of events" Itachi said

"Hum? Turn of events? What happened?"

"There was a woman by the gates demanding a meeting with the you. I wouldn't have bothered with this any longer than necessary had she not proclaimed one of our anbu codes"

The Hokage's expression gained a new spark of curiosity and concern "Is there any chance she is from one of our units?"

"I have never seen her before but she has a konoha headband"

"I see...what have you done with her?"

"I deemed it obligatory to let you choose her future Hogake-sama. She is outside"

"Bring her in Itachi, lets find out what we have in hands"

"Hai Hogake-sama" Itachi bowed one last time before turning around. On his way to the door, Itachi had to remind himself the need to remain calm in all situations or he was sure he wouldn't be able to keep his cool when a certain woman entered the room

»»»»Sakura POV««««

A few minutes later the office door slid open to reveal Itachi with his hands in his pockets and a blank face. "The Hokage wishes to see you"

Sakura got up and walked pass Itachi into the Hokage's office. There, breathing and looking at her with curious eyes, sat The Third. A wave of emotions ran through her body, memories clashed together in her mind, good ones with the Hokage and Ino and then the awful day of his death, his terrible and honorable fate...dying while fighting against his ex-student and protecting his beloved village.

Some of the emotions she was feeling must have been reflected on her face because the third curious look turned into one of amazement. "You wished to see me child?" he asked

Sakura bowed and started talking "Hai Hokage-sama. I have an urgent message and request for you from my master"

"And who is your master?

"I have in my possession a scroll that will answer all your questions but I'm afraid that all of this information is confidential and no one else but you is allowed to know about everything "

The Third looked at Itachi for a moment and then back at her, thinking over her words. "Give me the scroll, I will read it immediately and decide what to do" He ordered

Sakura grabbed her backpack and saw how Itachi tensed, ready to strike at any moment. She pulled the scroll out and handed it to the Sandaime who took it and analyzed it for a second before he started reading it carefully

It took him about 5 minutes to read everything and reach a decision "Very well...Itachi please leave us"

"Hokage-sama"Itachi bowed and left. Sakura guessed he wasn't very happy with this and that was enough to have her hiding a smirk.

After Itachi left, the room was invaded by a heavy silence. It was easy to understand that Sakura was growing more nervous with each minute since her mission's future depended on this conversation -IF The Third even allowed her to explain everything before calling some nurses to sedate her and lock her up in a room accusing her of insanity.

No...he read the scroll and told Itachi to leave, he had to believe in whatever her shishou wrote for him. Kami-sama she really should have read the scroll before coming here! She was mentally punching herself for her lack of preparation when the Hogake's voice broke her line of thought.

"What's the meaning of this?" asked The Sandaime with a stern voice

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for taking so long! I have been REAAAALLY busy! I promise to update regularly from now on! Thank you for the reviews! Im really happy you enjoyed the story! Please tell me if you want me to write longer chapters and i will do all i can to comply to your request!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Help me breath again**

 _By RockLauraLoko  
chapter four._

.

Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto (if they were mine, Itachi would be walking around without a shirt through all the anime) however, the plot of this fic and the new characters belongs to me

Summary: "What's love like?" he asked her. Seeing the pain and hope in his eyes she felt her heart clench. She knew just how much he had suffered because of the people that were supposed to love him. "Love is the air we breath" she answered

 **(read the authors note!)**

"talking"

 _thinking_

* * *

 _»»»»»»Previously««««««_

 _After Itachi left, the room was invaded by a heavy silence. It was easy to understand that Sakura was growing more nervous with each minute since her mission's future depended on this conversation -IF The Third even allowed her to explain everything before calling some nurses to sedate her and lock her up in a room accusing her of insanity._

 _No...he read the scroll and told Itachi to leave, he had to believe in whatever her shishou wrote for him. Kami-sama she really should have read the scroll before coming here! She was mentally punching herself for her lack of preparation when the Hogake's voice broke her line of thought._

" _What's the meaning of this?" asked The Sandaime with a stern voice_

 _»»»»»»End««««««_

* * *

Sakura looked up to see the face of an angry Sandaime, his mouth a line and his eyes watching her every move. Hiruzen Sarutobi was a very wise man, people looked up to him because of this and the fact that 3 sannins were born beneath his wings. Sakura was one of those people, but more than admiring his skills as a shinobi or a leader, she admired him as a man. Why? Because when people treated Naruto like a monster and a inconvenience, Sarutobi had seen him as the little boy he was. He passed onto Naruto his love for Kohoha and didn't let him have the same faith as Gaara. Yes...The Third has a good heart. And for that Sakura would only give him the truth.

"Hogake-sama, i don't know what Tsunade-sama wrote for you, but i can prove that none of it its a lie. Please just listen to me for 5 minutes!" Sakura said. The Hokage kept looking at her while pondering over her words and it took him a couple minutes to speak again

"Alright, you have 5 minutes and you better use them right" Hearing this Sakura breathed in deeply. She needed to be careful with her words, she couldn't tell him anything that could possibly give him to much knowledge about future events. She came here to stop the Uchiha massacre and that only. Even if she wanted to warn him about Orochimaru, she couldn't. The Third had to die to allow Tsunade to take his place and let the future happen according do her life time.

Releasing a breath she started talking " My name is Sakura Haruno, I'm 17 years old and i am a Konoha shinobi. I'm apart of anbu and ex- member of Team 7. My team mates were Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi. They were also known as: Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, one of the 3 remaining members of the Uchiha and copy ninja Kakashi.

I came 9 years into the past on a mission given to me by my Hokage and mentor, Tsunade Senju. I am here to stop the Uchiha massacre from happening at all costs in order to save all nations from a war with Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Sasuke." She stopped talking here, this would have to be enough.

Sarutobi was looking at her with wide eyes, mouth hanging open and completely frozen in place. Sakura would have laughed if it weren't for the situation she was currently in. She waited some time and saw how he returned to normal little by little, shoulders relaxed and a peaceful smile made it self present in his face.

"I see, so my Tsunade got to be Hokage." he chuckled "Didn't expect that but there is no doubt she has the back bone necessary. I believe you Sakura. To say the truth I had litle doubt after reading her letter but I needed to hear it from you. I was curious to see how you would deal with my question. Do you know the content of the scroll?" Sakura felt a huge weight being lifted off of her shoulders and allowed herself to get completely relaxed.

A big part of her mission was accomplished – obtaining the Hokage's support. Things would be easier than they would be if she couldn't count with his trust and help.

"No, Hokage-sama. I could say she forgot to mention that * small * detail but I'm pretty sure she did it on purpose knowing I wouldn't open it and would be terrified and curious when the time to give it to you came" Sakura said while rolling her eyes.

Sarutobi released a heartfelt laugh at her words and Sakura's smile widened. "I can definitely see that one happening. She told me who she was and proved her identity by remembering me of one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. They were still genin and we were on a C-rank mission escorting some noble to his holiday palace located near the border. We finished the mission without trouble and ahead of schedule so we decided to sleep in an inn of the small village where the palace was located.

Me and Jiraiya thought it would be an amazing idea to spy on the women bathing at the hot springs the inn offered, but Tsunade caught us and proceeded to beat us both to a pulp in front of everyone. On the way back home I had a black eye and Jiraiya was limping, no matter how much we begged she wouldn't heal it and kept screaming how we deserved it."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh, imagining the situation and remembering a couple times she had done the same to her team mates. She really did take after her shishou after all. The light atmosphere of the room gained a sudden tension and Sakura saw Sarutobi gain a pained look.

"Itachi wouldn't do it...He loves this village and family. He fights to protect not for the pleasure of killing. He wouldn't betray me like that." He said with a determined voice.

The trust The Third had in Itachi left her speechless for a moment. All her life she knew Itachi as a murderer, not only the murderer of The Uchiha clan as people knew it, but also for the murder of Sasuke.

He didn't literally kill him of course, not to other people's eyes but...Sakura knew better. On the day of the massacre, Sasuke started to die. To him it had been like a poison, working his way trough his body, slowly and painfully. Everything he ever loved, everything he ever knew, disappeared in one night...

On the small time the original Team 7 was still together, she hadn't realized that Sasuke was one of the most broken people she had ever met. He didn't need her to fangirl over him, he needed a family, a place to come home to and hear the voice of his lost ones. Sasuke fought for ghosts.

She noticed all of this 2 years ago when coming back from another failed rescue mission. Sasuke was so consumed in his hate for his brother, for himself, for everyone, that no matter how much they tried, they could no longer reach him. The poison had done his job.

"Hogake-sama...I promise I will find the truth. I can't say I share with you that trust in Itachi but, I will try my best to remember he is still a child and not the person that killed his family and caused so much pain" She said honestly.

The Hokage nodded "I will do what I can to help you. While you are here you will need a new identity and a way to approach Itachi. It won't be easy, he is very selective of the people he spends his time with, so you will have to prove your value. You may keep your first name but im afraid your surname needs to change, for obvious reasons. Do you have anything in mind?"

Sakura thought for a while until a name popped up in her head "Hai, I do. I wish to be called Sakura Moto" Until Tsunade mentioned the clan, she had never heard a thing about them, and she had a wide knowledge about the times before the villages, so the chance of anyone else suspecting anything because of the surname were basically none.

"As you wish. I take it you are a medic-nin since you were Tsunade's apprentice and of course, your seal. What's your rank? Tell me what you can about your skills"

"Hai Hokage-sama. I am currently in anbu as a field medic, when I'm not on missions I'm working at the hospital. I have perfect chackra control and my lady's legendary strength, I can easily detect genjentsu but I don't specialize in performing them myself" Sakura explained

He nodded "I will find you a job at the hospital working side by side with the head medic with the excuse of being on a research mission. We will justify your sudden appearance with a secret mission, that way people will not make a lot of questions. It won't fool Itachi so that brings me to part 2 of the plan. We will say you are in danger and in need of protection because your cover got blown up."

"I understand the logic behind this story but I don't see how it will make me come closer to Itachi. I doubt he will take pity of me and just decide to be best friends Hokage-sama"

Sarutobi laughed "Oh you will see Sakura-chan. In fact, if you feel like we are over here and prepared to move on I will do my part right now" He said. Sakura was confused but also curious so she immediately nodded

"Well then, I wish you the best my dear" he flashed her a gentle smile before she felt his chakra fire up. In less then 5 seconds Itachi was behind her with a kunai to her neck

"You called, Hokage-sama?" Sakura felt her blood freeze in her veins. She understood what Sarutobi did but feeling Itachi so close to her got her so nervous it was even hard to breath.

"Itachi-kun please remove that kunai from Sakura-chan's neck. I called you here to assign you a new mission" The sandaime said. Itachi did as he was told and took a step back but his presence was still overwhelming.

"Thank you, Itachi. I have a new mission for you" Sarutobi said while smiling "Sakura-chan just came back from a failed undercover mission, she was collecting data about very dangerous missing-nin from Rock but things didn't go well and she was forced to expose her skills. This said, I need you to work as...bodyguard, until we can solve this situation."

"I understand Hokage-sama, but I don't see why she would need protection inside of the village. No missing-nin from Rock can easily enter without being spotted." Itachi said.

"Well that's true but we suspect that someone from inside was involved. We can never be to careful in this situations, we can't afford to lose Sakura-chan" The Hokage said with a smile.

Itachi nodded "When do I start"

"You will start immediately but I'm afraid it will entail a very delicate situation. You see, Sakura spent many years outside of the village, so she doesn't have a place to say. Since she requires 24h/7 protection, do you think there's any chance she can stay at the Uchiha compound?" Sakura had been recovering from the previous chock when a new wave of ice cold water fell over her.

Itachi was in silence for a moment before answering "Don't worry Hokage-sama. My family will understand"

For a minute she thought her ears had played a trick on her. She could barely be in Itachi's presence let alone with the whole freaking clan! And Sasuke! How was she going to look him in the eye and avoid hugging and tell him it was going to be okay? Well, for the looks of it she better figure out how to deal with it and quick.

"I will need you to escort Sakura-chan back here tomorrow morning by nine so I can give her the information about her new position at the hospital. Also, give you parents my apologies and thanks, tell them I will remember this favor" Sarutobi said

"As you wish, Hokage-sama" Itachi bowed and Sakura felt his eyes on her. Seeing her distress the Hokage added

"Also, Sakura-chan, please don't destroy the whole compound. I'm sure Itachi will train with you if you feel the need to release some tension." he said while grinning. Although he hadn't seen her inhuman strength, he had seen Tsunade's. She understood what he intended to provoke with his words.

He had warned her on how selective Itachi was about the people he shared his time with. Giving him this subtle warning about her he showed she was a worthy opponent. It would leave him curious enough to spend at least a few hours testing her abilities and would give her the chance to try to approach him.

Such thoughts brought two different effects on her. The first was gratitude towards Sarutobi for his quick thinking and coming to her rescue, The second... was realization. The realization of how screwed she was when that * friendly spar * finally arrived.

"Shall we go, Sakura-san?" Itachi asked her breaking her inner battle. She could almost hear the annoyance in is voice.

 _Kami-sama, why me?_

* * *

 **A/N: So here it is chapter 4 hope you enjoyed it! I will start making them bigger I just have been busy lately Ç_Ç. I wanna answer some of the reviews! So here it is, to clear any doubt of the story**

 **1\. Someone said my comment about Itachi wanting to kill someone in chapter 3 didn't fit since he was a pacifist. I'm sorry if I caused any doubts on this but when I wrote it I meant it like an expression. Per example when you say: MAAAAN! I would kill to have a hamburger right now! - and not the literal meaning. Sorry for the confusion again!**

 **2\. To Nicole S: Hi! I'm really happy you are enjoying the story! Well I would like to apologize and explain**

 **-About Sakura saying she wanted to be useful, I wrote it that way because no matter how strong she is, she always had that piece of her that held some insecurity and I wanted it to be present on the beginning so we can see an evolution in her character later on.**

 **3\. My Itachi will be lighter than the original because please remember he is still 13. He didn't kill everyone yet, he still shows affection towards some people and as many of you know, its not common to see people writing about young Itachi, but I will do my best!**

 **See you next chapter and thank you** **to the remaining people that reviewed: Gabi, Raiza-chan and LadyGlitter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Help me breath again**

 _By RockLauraLoko  
chapter five._

.

Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto (if they were mine, Itachi would be walking around without a shirt through all the anime) however, the plot of this fic and the new characters belongs to me

Summary: "What's love like?" He asked her. Seeing the pain and hope in his eyes she felt her heart clench. She knew just how much he had suffered because of the people that were supposed to love him. "Love is the air we breath" she answered

 **(read the authors note!)**

"talking"

 _thinking_

.

.

 _»»»»»»Previously««««««_

 _He had warned her on how selective Itachi was about the people he shared his time with. Giving him this subtle warning about her he showed she was a worthy opponent. It would leave him curious enough to spend at least a few hours testing her abilities and would give her the chance to try to approach him._

 _Such thoughts brought two different effects on her. The first was gratitude towards Sarutobi for his quick thinking and coming to her rescue, The second... was realization. The realization of how screwed she was when that * friendly spar * finally arrived._

" _Shall we go, Sakura-san?" Itachi asked her breaking her inner battle. She could almost hear the annoyance in is voice._

 _Kami-sama, why me?_

 _»»»»»»End««««««_

* * *

Itachi realized long ago that being a shinobi meant sacrifice. Your body and will belonged to your village from the moment you receive your hitai-ate and swore loyalty to your hokage. No matter how much death he saw and how far into darkness he got, he would always be sane enough to know what was important, what he fought for. But it seemed kami-sama was devoted to test his sanity and self control lately.

As if the last 2 months weren't enough, now he had to protect this annoying woman. His initial plans of ignoring her existence wouldn't work now it seemed.

They left the Hokage and made their way to the compound through the busy streets, to his amusement, the woman beside him had kept quiet since then. He would guess it was somewhere around 6pm, meaning his father was still dealing with clan business. He would be able to talk to his mother first, have her settle Sakura in and go pick up Sasuke from the academy before listening to complains.

He was sure his father would allow Sakura to stay just to have the Hokage owning him a favor. Sakura...a ridiculously common name but that seemed to fit her completely. According to the information he had so far she had to be of high raking, she left the village a few years ago which meant she also achieved it very young. The only person he knew had achieved such thing besides himself was Hatake Kakashi.

There were many blank spaces in her story, but it wouldn't remain that way for long, he would find who she was exactly and what she was doing here. It was just a question of time.

Paying attention to his surroundings he realized he could already see the Uchiha compound ahead, it didn't go unnoticed the way his companion seemed to become more tense with each step they took.

»»»»Sakura POV««««

She was fine, really. So far so good...yap...she was juuuuuuuuuust fine. Nervous? Obviously but who wouldn't be? So what if she had just spent the entire way here planing escape routs to get the hell out of there on the first chance she got and was getting slightlyhysterical? She had everything under control.

…

This line of thoughts lasted 10 minutes until the moment they crossed the gates and she (yes, Sakura Haruno, 17 year old anbu) slipped on discarded candy wrapper... _a freaking_ _candy wrapper_ _!_ And if the humiliation of falling on public hadn't been enough, she got up to see a smirking Itachi right ahead of her. She would have been offended if it wasn't for the fact she was to stunned to react.

On the few times she had came in contact with him on her time, never had he showed any emotion. Even when they had their little disagreement earlier, his face remained blank. It seemed Itachi had noticed her astonished face because the smirk disappeared as quickly as it appeared. That didn't mean he finished taunting her.

"I suggest you get up Moto. Although I heard mud baths are good for your skin, I don't think its wise to take one right before I present you to my family. Even if it's a mission I don't think it would cause a very good impression." Itachi said while she got up and fixed herself

"If you had been a gentleman and grabbed me before I hit the floor we would already be at your house and I wouldn't be in this situation Uchiha" She said while grinding her teeth. But to add salt to the wound, he had the gall to lift a brow and _once again_ shower her with his aura of superiority

"Ah Moto, but that wouldn't be half as fun would it?" With that he turned around leaving a baffled Sakura behind

"Y-y-you...d-d-did you just? "

"Hum"

Sakura closed her mouth and ran towards him. There was no doubt this Itachi was a completely different person from what she expected. Hell she thought he would be more like 13 year old Sasuke but with a few more sticks up his ass. But this was good, if he was like this it meant that whatever happened to make him change so drastically was still to happen, she could still stop it. Nothing was decided yet.

Only when Itachi was opening the door did she register the fact that they had finally reached their destination. Looking around she realized no one could mistake whose house this was. Although all of the houses on the compound were beautiful and a pretty good size, this one was significantly larger and more majestic.

"Tadaima" said Itachi while leading them down the hall.

"Okaerinasai Itachi-chan!" The moment they reached the kitchen Itachi was engulfed on a bone breaking hug "I have missed you, how was the mission? You look thinner, have you been eating enough?"

"Hahaue, I'm in perfect condition. We have more important matters to discuss right now, I take it Chichiue hasn't arrived yet." Suddenly the woman turned to her as if realizing for the first time she was present.

"Oh! I'm so sorry dear, it has been so long since I had last seen my Itachi-chan I acted without thinking, and who might such a lovely lady be?" she asked with an apologetic smile

Stunning. There was no other word that did justice to the beauty of the woman in front of her. There was no doubt Itachi inherited his beauty from his mother. She looked very young despite already having 2 kids and her posture was flawless.

Sakura bowed "It's alright Uchiha-sama, your reaction is only natural it is me who is intruding such a private moment. My name is Sakura Moto"

"Oh dear, call me Mikoto!" She looked between her and Itachi and her eyes gained a knowing look. "You aren't intruding at all! I just wished Itachi had told me he was bringing his girlfriend home so I could have been prepared to receive you better." she finished with a smile

Sakura had to fight back the urge to perform the seals needed to dissipate the genjutsu she was sure someone had caught her in, because there was no way, NO-FREAKING-WAY, that Itachi's mother had just _implied_ the existence of a relationship between her and Itachi (who looked 10 shades paler then usual). Thankfully, Itachi recovered from the shock faster than her.

"Hahaue, I am afraid you misunderstand my relationship with Moto-san. I am to protect her for some time and she will need a place to stay, I deem it wise she stays with us and the Hokage requested it as well."

Mikoto's expression changed to one of disappointment "oh, I see...another mission." She quickly blinked "Well I better lead you to the guest room Sakura-chan, you seem tired and in the need of a bath. Itachi-chan go get Sasuke-chan, meanwhile we girls have some bonding to do"

"Hai, Hahaue. If father get's home before I do please tell him I shall inform him of the situation myself and that I have the information he requested"

"Hai hai I will tell him now go go"

With one look in Sakura's direction and one final bow, Itachi was gone

"Well Sakura-chan, follow me and let's have some girl time neh?" She giggled "Tell me dear, isn't my Itachi-chan handsome?"

 _oh boy..._

* * *

 **Heeeeeey! I'm so SORRY its so short but I wanted to tell you guys I'm still alive! I will start posting new chapters again! Finally I have sorted some stuff in my life so I think I will have more time to write now.**

 **Thank you to the new follows and favs!**

 **See you next chapter and thank you** **to the remaining people that reviewed:** **Awiii,** **angeloffire19869, Weaselandcherry, Lenaria, EmilyGonzalez ( wonderfull review helped me a lot ), Emily D' Lu and finally Raiza-chan who has been supporting me a lot with her reviews**


	6. Chapter 6

**Help me breath again**

 _By RockLauraLoko  
chapter six._

.

Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto (if they were mine, Itachi would be walking around without a shirt through all the anime) however, the plot of this fic and the new characters belongs to me

Summary: "What's love like?" He asked her. Seeing the pain and hope in his eyes she felt her heart clench. She knew just how much he had suffered because of the people that were supposed to love him. "Love is the air we breath" she answered

 **(read the authors note!)**

"talking"

 _thinking_

.

.

 _»»»»»»Previously««««««_

 _Mikoto's expression changed to one of disappointment "oh, I see...another mission." She quickly blinked "Well I better lead you to the guest room Sakura-chan, you seem tired and in the need of a bath. Itachi-chan go get Sasuke-chan, meanwhile we girls have some bonding to do"_

" _Hai, Hahaue. If father get's home before I do please tell him I shall inform him of the situation myself and that I have the information he requested"_

" _Hai hai I will tell him now go go"_

 _With one look in Sakura's direction and one final bow, Itachi was gone_

" _Well Sakura-chan, follow me and let's have some girl time neh?" She giggled "Tell me dear, isn't my Itachi-chan handsome?"_

 _oh boy..._

 _»»»»»»End««««««_

* * *

It took Mikoto exactly 43 minutes of * let me tell you all about my Itachi-chan because he is suuuuch a fine young man!* before she finally let her go and have a well deserved bath. Who would have guessed the Uchiha matriarch would be this...hum...lively? Other than her name and age, Mikoto had asked nothing else about her private life. She was clearly aware of how delicate the situation was, if the protection the Hokage was offering meant anything.

It was obvious she loved her sons very much, the way she smiled when talking about Itachi said it all. Mikoto was a good mother and a kind woman, how could Itachi throw it all away? A respected shinobi with a prestigious family who loved him this much, and yet...

Annoyed at herself for being unable to figure out Itachi's motives, Sakura quickly got out of the giant tub she was currently in and picked up the kimono Mikoto left her, it was almost full black with the exception of the red and white butterflies along the right side, a truly elegant piece of clothing.

Just when she finished getting ready she heard someone entering the house and her heart immediately did a back flip on her chest. It was either Itachi's father or Itachi himself and a miniature version of Sasuke. She didn't know which idea terrified her more. If it really was the first one, her previous escape plan could still be put to test. Meeting the clan's leader couldn't be avoided forever but maybe delaying it and starting some more mental preparations-

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-saaaaaaaaan!"

 _S-sasuke..._

Her thoughts were shattered the minute she heard his voice. Her feet were moving before she realized, running to the kitchen were she could clearly ear Mikoto's delighted voice and his faint laughter. She could barely see anything as the distance from the guest room to the kitchen disappeared and she remembered his haunted eyes, who chased her for so many years.

 _SASUKE!_

She was breathing heavily when she finally arrived. Itachi was leaning on the fridge and Mikoto was crouched in front of a small boy, who, like the other two, was currently looking at her with puzzled eyes. For a minute, Sakura thought her eyes were lying to her.

He looked so...happy. A version of him who had died before she got to know him. Compared to the lost shadow of her memories, this Sasuke shinned brightly. There were no signs of the regret, the sick desire for revenge and the loneliness she was used to see in his eyes

She wasn't ready for the sudden wave of relief and longing that fell over her.

"Oka-san, who is the lady?"

Forgetting her sudden surprise, Mikoto replied her youngest son "Ah! Sasu-chan this is Sakura-chan, she will be staying with us for a while so be nice to her okay? Go and say hello like a big boy!"

Sasuke huffed at his mother's antics but obeyed anyway "My name is Uchiha Sasuke, pleasure to meet you" Sakura could clearly see he was nervous, but even so he stood tall and proud in front of his smiling mother. She wished she could keep this image of him forever.

"I'm Sakura Moto, it's nice to meet you too Sasuke" she extended her hand in his direction, patiently waiting, and when his hand finally hit hers, she was able to feel how small and warm he was, so unlike what she knew he would one day be. Resisting the urge to hug him, she let go and took a step back.

There were so many things she wanted to tell him. How there would be people who loved him, who would fight for him, who would fight **with** him. God she even wanted to hit him for decisions he was still to make!

"Sasu-chan come with me, you need to take a bath before dinner because there is no way I will let you sit on one of my chairs looking like that. Now cho cho!" Mikoto hurried him upstairs

"Haaai Oka-san"

"Itachi-chan, take Sakura-chan to the garden. Your father will arrive shortly and you know he will want to have dinner immediately so you need to be a nice and help our guest kill some time until then."

"I understand Hahaue." Itachi answered while Mikoto headed in the same direction as her youngest son.

Sakura silently followed Itachi trusting him to not let her hit any walls while she absorbed everything going on. The tension between them was palpable, whether it was from the natural distrust between unknown shinobi or because of her recent action she wasn't sure but a part of her was thankful he wasn't showering with questions. Maybe he related her reaction towards his brother to some possible pass event she had gone through.

"We are here"

Looking in the direction of his voice she saw him sliding a door open to reveal an absolutely stunning view. The Uchiha's main house garden was filled with exotic and elegant flowers, a few fruit trees and a large pond with a bridge allowing one to cross it towards a small covered area with a table and a few chairs.

"I think I just fell in love" Sakura breathed out

Itachi didn't bother answering and kept walking towards the pond stopping only when they reached the middle of the pond. There was a gentle breeze that seemed to sooth her heart and she allowed herself to study the child next to her. It was strange to refer Itachi Uchiha as a child but that was exactly what he was right now, and that's how she should see him from now on. Until proved wrong she would treat him like any other innocent kid. One she would have a hell of a problem trying to figure out as time went by and who could kill her if he really wanted to but details, right?

"Who takes care of this place?" Sakura asked

"Hahaue and I are the ones in charge of it's maintenance" Itachi answered

"Uh? You as well? I wouldn't have taken you as the type of person who would waste their time in such a...domestic activity." she smiled

"Hum"

"You know...i expected an explanation after such a confession" Sakura glared

"If you are to live here for the next months or so you would have eventually seen it happen, so it's not a confession as much as it is a simple fact. As for the explanation...i don't see the need to explain anything to you Moto" He finished with a smirk

"No, you don't have to explain yourself to me Uchiha. But common courtesy is appreciated. I guess I should have expected you inability to reach such a simple thing" Fuming, Sakura headed towards the main house without a glance back. Screw the innocent child stereotype, that stupid kid had taken one too many kunai in the brain.

Blind by her rage Sakura didn't realize soon enough that she was about to be in a hell lot of more problems, if the body she collided with and the sudden flare of chakra meant anything.

"What is the meaning of this?" In front of her was a man around his 40s, black hair and eyes with subtle dark circles bellow his eyes that indicated his lack of rest. Sakura immediately realized two things: first, this person must be Sasuke's father and second, the frown in his face couldn't mean good news.

"Chihiue" Behind her was Itachi, looking directly to the other man. His eyes were blank without trace of any worry or anything else,

 _Just like I remember..._

This was the closest she had ever seen the 13 year old Itachi look in comparison to the 22 years old version. Even the aura around him changed completely, although he hadn't been exactly inviting to her or anyone else so far, he also hadn't been so cold. Something inside her snapped. Was Itachi's father his trigger?

"Itachi, why is this woman in my house?" Sasuke's father practically growled

"I shall explain everything you wish to know, however, I think it's wise if mother is called to greet you as well" Itachi turned to Sakura "Moto-san, upstairs third room to the left is where you will find my brother's room and my mother's location. Please update her on the recent situation"

"Nonsense! I will not have some stranger walk around my house alone! She will stay here where I can see her or you will go with her and that's final!" Sasuke's father screamed

Itachi slowly turned to him without even a blink "I can assure you Moto-san means no harm for I have the Hokage's word that she is worthy of trust. I must tell you, chichiue, I have the answers you seek since our last talk"

As if Itachi had thrown a kunai shower towards him, the furious man completely stilled and fell silent.

"Very well...the girl is allowed to proceed. Come with me Itachi I have no time to waste" the man walked away with Itachi following.

Sakura stood stupidly on the hall for a minute or so until she forced herself to snap out of it and do what she was told. Slowly climbing the stairs she cursed herself for not paying more attention to her surroundings and her seemingly new acquired skill of putting herself in bad positions with Uchiha's

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Thank you for the lovely reviews :** **angeloffire19869,** **Awiii, Weaselandcherry and Raiza-chan ( you two are amazing!) and Kumee-chan ( who made me realize my very bad mistake, thank you again!)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Help me breath again**

 _By RockLauraLoko  
chapter seven._

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Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto (if they were mine, Itachi would be walking around without a shirt through all the anime) however, the plot of this fic and the new characters belongs to me

Summary: "What's love like?" He asked her. Seeing the pain and hope in his eyes she felt her heart clench. She knew just how much he had suffered because of the people that were supposed to love him. "Love is the air we breath" she answered

 **(read the authors note!)**

"talking"

 _thinking_

* * *

 _»»»»»»Previously««««««_

" _Very well...the girl is allowed to proceed. Come with me Itachi I have no time to waste" the man walked away with Itachi following._

 _Sakura stood stupidly on the hall for a minute or so until she forced herself to snap out of it and do what she was told. Slowly climbing the stairs she cursed herself for not paying more attention to her surroundings and her seemingly new acquired skill of putting herself in bad positions with Uchiha's_

 _»»»»»»End««««««_

* * *

Sitting at the table with the main Uchiha family was not good for anyone with high stress levels and the inability to stay as quiet and still as possible while eating. The clan patriarch (who Mikoto had referred to as Fugaku) had an aura that screamed arrogance and need to have everyone around him obey him. She wasn't that surprised by this, after all, Itachi had to have inherited such a trait from someone and sweet lovable Mikoto couldn't be it.

What really surprised Sakura was how _empty_ the air around Itachi turned since his father had arrived. Not only that, but the way she could feel his chakra so agitated, like he was getting ready to pounce or be pounced on. The contrast of a dark serenity and a raw instinct to fight was something that left her speechless. Besides her Mikoto and mini-Sasuke were engaged in a conversation about desserts when the Patriarch finally made himself be heard.

"Enough. Now that everyone has finished their meals, Sasuke go study in your bedroom and Itachi take the girl upstairs, she is not allowed anywhere other then the guest room and the bathroom and if there is need for anything else you are the one responsible. Mikoto take care of your duties and come to the office as fast as possible, you too Itachi." Without further ado, Fugaku got up and left the room.

Immediately Mikoto got up and started cleaning, any trace of the previous joy was gone and left was a serious look. "Sasu-chan, you heard your father. Itachi-chan you too" Turning to Sakura the matriarch gave an apologetic smile "I'm sorry dear but it seams we will only be able to talk more tomorrow. Please try to follow my husbands words and don't think badly of him, he is just tired" Turning around the two left the room

"Sasuke, come I shall take you to your room" Itachi said

"Haaaai ni-san!"

Sakura followed them wondering about the sudden changes in the house after the older man's arrival. They left Sasuke on his room and soon it was her turn.

"Whatever you do, do not go downstairs without my presence and above all, not while my father is awake" Itachi warned her and then disappeared.

Sakura sighed. _Surviving day 1 without a nervous breakdown– check_

»»»»Itachi POV««««

"She will only delay our plans! I don't care what the Hokage says, if he isn't willing to step down of his position then there isn't nothing he could offer me. What were you thinking?" His father- no, the man in front of him screamed and slammed his hands on the table. He did not deserve to be called father, not when Itachi could avoid it.

"She is precious to this village and the trust the Hokage is displaying for our clan can only do well for us." Itachi countered

"I do not care for that child's worth to the village and the Hokage has taken to much from us already to try to cover it up with such a noble act. Don't you understand this? What side are you on?!"

Itachi remained silent while trying to keep calm and collected. He could not let his father's blind ambitions cloud his mind and take the best of his control now, _not yet_.

"Love please, I am sure Itachi had the clans best interests in mind when he made this decision. Sakura-chan isn't a threat to us." Mikoto tried to help

Fugaku turned to his wife, sharingan in place and a scowl present "Mikoto, do not forget who you own your obedience to. Do not question me"

Mikoto immediately shut up and looked to her lap."Forgive my insolence" _Ah...here it is_. Mikoto, the perfect woman in the eyes of everyone in Konoha. Beautiful, married to the clan heir when she was just 19 and had one of the most powerful shinobi as a son. Seemingly caring mother to everyone who spent more than 5 minutes talking to her, at least when her husband wasn't present.

The truth is that Mikoto Uchiha was the perfect **matriarch**. Married to one of the most influence clans in history to be a perfect portrait, without a voice, forever still, displaying her beauty and grace to the outside world. Traded her free will for a life of comfort and fame. He had no doubt his mother loved him and his brother, but he was also aware that her loyalty to Fugaku was bigger than anything else in this world. His word was law, he speaks and everything else stops.

"The decision his made. She will not get in our way, only good can come to us for this. Is it not public recognition you want, Chichiue?" Itachi said while getting up to leave

Fugaku gaped and got up as well "ITACHI! Your actions will not go unpunished, you own your clan your life! Do you understand? ITACH-"

Fugaku's words no longer reached him as he headed towards the Uchiha private grounds, located behind the garden. His father's illusions of superiority and desire for power would one day lead this clan to ruins. Not only his but the clan's council as well. They weren't able to recognize the Hokage's pure intentions and wishes for the clan and the village. They were one of the founding clans and should be an example to everyone. But they had become so blind...

Itachi would lead them to light, no matter the cost.

»»»»Sakura POV««««

Morning came quickly for Sakura. When she got up the Uchiha patriarch and the heir were already gone and Mikoto was preparing breakfast for a still half sleeping Sasuke. Sakura decided sleepy mini-sasuke was the best Sasuke.

"Oh, good morning Sakura-chan! Come eat with us dear, Sasuke has no classes today so it will be just the 3 of us today" Mikoto smiled

"What about Itachi?" Sakura wondered

"Ni-san has a mission today, but he will be back before the day ends because he promised he would train me today!" Sakura felt her whole body warm up with Sasuke's enthusiasm, if she hadn't seen now much this attitude would change 9 years from now if someone mentioned Itachi, she would have bet that the two brothers would have a very close bond in the future.

"Now now Sasuke you know your older brother is very busy and you can't stay up until late or your father will be mad! I'm sure you can train together some other time" Seeing Sasuke's expression fall at Mikoto's words Sakura immediately intervened

"Ano...I can train with you if you want Sasuke."

The boy seemed surprised "Are you a shinobi too Sakura-san? Are you as good as aniki? Well not as good as him because ni-san is the best but are you pretty strong too?"

Sakura laughed at his words "I am indeed very strong and I can bet I could take your brother too" No problem with bragging about her abilities when Itachi wasn't here to listen to her and try to see if she was speaking the truth, right?

"Impossible! Not even father can take Itachi! And you are a girl!" Sasuke shouted with an offended expression

"Oh is that so?" She smirked. "Won't you train with me Sasuke-kun?"

"Ahhhhh. Can I Oka-san? I promise to be careful!"

Mikoto laughed "Hai, hai. Make sure you behave and come back before lunch time. Since today the weather is looking so good lets eat on the garden, I will be expecting you at 12"

Sasuke laughed happily and ran to the garden, Sakura hot on his heels after assuring Mikoto she would keep Sasuke safe and back on time only to have the woman smile calmly at her. Having your own private training grounds right behind a huge exotic garden spoke to Sakura on a spiritual level about all the money the Uchihas owned, specially the main family. She was by no means a greedy superficial person but it must be nice to live like this, and once again she had something new to had to the list of things Itachi gave up without looking back.

"Sakura-san! Let's start! I promisse to keep it slow!" Sasuke grinned at her. Time to show him he should respect pink haired women. Might help him in the future, neh?

* * *

"-and then she disappeared and my foot was sucked by the ground and-and-"

"Slow down Sasu-chan, your food will get cold dear, I will still be here to ear about your training if you take time to eat and I'm sure both of you must be tired" Mikoto said while laughing at her son's enthusiasm, immediately Sasuke started devouring his food

They had finished their training 20 minutes ago, only having time to shower and come join Mikoto on the garden table. Sakura was enjoying the day so far, Mikoto has a soothing presence and Sasuke's happiness was contagious. After releasing some energy with Sasuke ( who despite his age was real good, not good enough to be a challenge but stubborn enough to keep her going) she felt content enough to try and test the waters with the matriarch

"Mikoto-san?"

"Yes Sakura-chan?" The woman smiled gently at her

"I-I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but yesterday it seemed like Itachi and Fugaku-san had a somewhat...h-harsh tension between, again I don't mean to intrude I just wanted to know if there is anything I can help with since you are doing so much for me by letting me stay" Sakura said with a small blush and letting her voice tremble to add to her innocent and preoccupied look

Immediately Mikoto's expression dropped, eyes full of a raw feeling Sakura knew all to well: failure. When she started talking, fake smile in place, even her voice sounded so different from the usual youth and joy, it sounded tired, desperate.

"My husband can somewhat pass as an emotionless person, he pushes the boys to their limit to make sure they reach their best and Itachi is a very independent so sometimes they clash and it's not a very pleasant image. I can assure you that whatever you may see that leads you to any other thought is nothing but vain concerns because they always find a way over their problems

My husband knows what he is doing, he knows what is best for us, his lessons are hard but they are for the best"

She was trembling, Sakura noticed. It was nothing big, just a small shaking on her hands and the way she had said the last sentence got her thinking Mikoto was reciting it, not for Sakura, but for herself. Adding the woman's reaction to Itachi's yesterday everything was pointing towards Fugaku Uchiha. Could he be the source of all this crisis?

Her silence must have alerted Mikoto because she immediately got up and tried to push away the subject

"Well Sakura-chan, Sasu-chan, what about a trip to the store? I need to buy some groceries and I'm sure you need some clothes and other things no dear?" She asked her

"Oh! I have some clothes that I managed to bring with me and right now I have no mo-"

"No, no, no! Such a beautiful young woman as yourself needs to be spoiled after spending so much time serving our village and no need to worry about money, I never had a daughter to spoil so it will be my pleasure to do it now!" Mikoto clapped happily

"There is no way I could ever a-"

"Won't you let an old woman like me fulfill one of her dreams?" The matriarch pouted "Of course I can't force you to be in my company if you do not wish to I would understand and-"

Falling for Mikoto's trap Sakura reluctantly accepted her offer. How could she deny anything to her when she pulled the lonely-mother-in-middle-age-crises on her? "NO! No Mikoto-san it would be my honor I just don't want to burden you when you are already doing so much for me and-"

"Then it's settled! Let's not waste any more time- Sasu-chan! Go grab your jacket we need to go shopping honey"

Said boy immediately slumped on his chair with an annoyed look. "But kaa-san you always take hooooouuursss there can't I sta-"

"I will buy some tomato cookies" It worked like a spell, mini-sasuke sprinted so fast she had troubled seeing him as he ran to the house

"Kaa-san where is my blue jacket? I can't remember and we can't take long otherwise my cookies will be stolen!"

Besides her Mikoto was wearing the most accomplished smirk Sakura had ever seen and it made shivers run down her body. Kami...who thought Mikoto Uchiha had such a manipulative bone in her?

"Let's go Sakura-chan, I can't wait to doll you up to the point my Itachi-chan will be unable to get his eyes off of you!"

Oh god...forget the shivers, there were cold sweats too

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Thank you for the lovely reviews.** **Forgive me but this time I don't have the time to say the names but I will make it up I promise! Things haven't been easy so I find myself busier and busier but I think its calming down. I want to write again so you will se more of me**

 **Until next time!**


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